Shepherding: A Brother from Jammu

Two years ago we met a brother in our distribution trip to Jammu who had helped us in meeting a good number of Christian workers. This brother gave us hospitality for a week. In fact, his house became our center for distribution though it was in the village. He also happened to be the first and only Christian family in the entire village.

Two years later, his elder son got a job in Gurugram. He called me to contact his son and also spiritually take care of him, which I gladly did. Now, I have been in contact with his son and his son has started coming for the Lord's table meeting and other meetings of the church.

This brother from Jammu is the first one to come into the church life from his community. He has a burden to preach the gospel among the youth as he himself is one of them who are young working ones with money and good job living far away from home. The young generation are totally independent from their parents and most of them live a care free life. In fact, most of them are in the verge of moral decline and godlessness. For such youths, there is a need for the gospel preaching and shepherding. This brother has such a burden though he himself is in the midst of modern day urban culture. 

My first meeting with him was inviting him for a lovefeast dinner at my home. He was so happy and shepherded that he felt home once again, home far away from home. Though he has been busy the whole day throughout the week, we will do our best to meet up on weekends and make sure he has received the shepherding he needed.

May the Lord grace him to enjoy the Lord and the church life, and become functioning and useful members of the Body .

Flow of Life: A Unique Brother

The year was 2003. I was about to graduate from my master's degree in Computer Science. It was the time I was deeply and seriously praying and seeking the will of the Lord as to what I should do in my life. I had learned the lesson of doing God's will in the major things of my life at least, if not in all things.  And that's what led me to seriously pray and follow the Lord's leading.

Therefore, I would not succumb to the temptation of catching every opportunity that came my way. Be it job or further academic pursuit, I was determined to find out the will of the Lord and do just that. Coincidentally, it was the year and period in which I was becoming clear about the Lord's work in His recovery. Two marvelous things happened simultaneously: a decision of my career for a life time and a decision of taking the stand for God and His eternal purpose. It was at that juncture, the Lord brought a brother into my life to show me the way further.

This brother is not as gifted as many others in function nor in capacity, but the Lord blessed him with a sharp discernment of my actual inward condition and used him to shepherd me at the right time. His voluntary service in having a home meeting with him on the book, A Genuine Ground of Oneness, completely turned me into my practical fellowship with the saints in the church in Chennai. That was the beginning of my practical coming into the Lord's recovery.

It was also the time in which I received the Lord's call to serve Him full time and for which I needed a full time training to be trainned and be equipped with the word of God. I simply followed the Lord's leading step by step by faith. And the Lord provided this brother to shepherd me in following the Lord. I had no idea what would follow next. It was a blind faith in the Lord, yet the Lord used His people to shepherd me. This is the brother through whom I had been practically shepherded and he would never be forgotten. 

After 15 years we met again, after I graduated from the full time training, have been married with three children and are serving the Lord full time by His mercy as he came to attend the international training for elders and responsible ones in India. He and his wife visited us for two days. It was a glorious time of meeting and blending after long years. Praise the Lord for such a wonderful brother! 

He still is the same brother who is very unique in function. As usual, he has a genuine care and concern for me. Even as he left after visiting us, he left a note of fellowship encouraging me to pray with my wife at a fixed time, with my coordinator, and also reproduce another Palmei. He also fellowshipped on how to care of the saints of different age groups, working saints, and married couples, and also how to care for the church in my locality.  

Praise the Lord for such a brother! He definitely is a unique and special brother to me. May the Lord continue to bless him richly in his service too.

Flow of Life: In Service

Exodus 33:14-15

And He said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. And he said to Him, If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

One of the most important things I take care in my service is the presence of God. Without the presence of God, I dare not even imagine doing anything especially, the Lord's service. How can I do the Lord's work without the Lord? It is utter foolishness to even consider qualified to do any service to God without the Lord Himself. I have been learning this lesson and I am still learning. To some degree, I can testify that I have learned this lesson a bit more.

These days, many responsibilities have to be borne. One of the most important ones is the coordination in caring for the international training that was conducted in India for the elders and responsible ones all over the earth. My main function was to sign all the formal documents, agreements, and also receive payments for all expenses and pay them as well. I have never handled such magnanimous service ever in my life. Neither was I ever troubled or worried about this responsibility. Some how, the Lord graced me to take it and carry it out step by step at ease. I could experience the Lord's presence in all the responsibilities. Though the task seemed huge but the Lord's hand led me and all of us through with ease.

One thing I learned, it was not me nor the brothers who laboured, but the Lord who bore all the responsibilities on our behalf. We simply learned to coordinate with one another and with the Lord most importantly. At least, this is my observation and my experience.

Where the presence of the Lord is, there the flow of life is. Once the first condition is met, all the rest is grace.

Now that the international training is over, as the Lord answered the Body's prayer, all responsibilities have been carried out. In all these the Lord's presence was bountifully enjoyed. As for me, it was a rest and enjoyment. I did not go though any tension or anxiety. Though I prepared myself for any untoward incident to happen and in fact, geared myself up for the worst, the Lord gave us the best. The credit goes to God who is over all and in all. Praise the Lord!

In the presence of God is the flow of life. In the flow of life every service is grace. And under God's grace all is enjoyment with praises and thanks. Hallelujah! 

Flow of Life: Blending in and with the Body

1 Corinthians 12:24But our comely members have no need. But God has blended the body together, giving more abundant honor to the member that lacked. 

Our God is a flowing Triune God. He flows from the Head to the Body. In His flow the members of the Body are being blended together. Our church life is the enjoyment of the flow of the divine life in and through the members of the Body.

Being geographically located in the heart of India neighbouring the capital city New Delhi, our local church has been at the receiving end of all the benefits from the Body, especially when the saints travels and visits India. Team after team, saints came to visit us and we enjoyed blending with them. 

Recently we have enjoyed the blending with the saints from Taiwan, Indonesia, USA, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and others. From our side it was a time of feasting spiritually and physically. For we enjoyed fellowshipping and sharing our enjoyment of Christ with one another, and we also feasted together partaking of the lovefeast prepared by the saints. I guess the cooking team was the most who laboured and also enjoyed. For, in cooking for the lovefeast meal, the saints get to coordinate and blend with one another. Such opportunity would not have happened if it were not for the visiting saints from abroad. Therefore, we always grasp the opportunity to blend with the saints in all possible ways.

Our talk of the church life will only be doctrinal if we really did not blend with one another practically by visiting one another. The letter to the church in Rome by the apostle Paul in chapter 16 is an orthodox proof of the care and concern for the saints. It also portrays the blending life among the saints at least through the epistles. For such a wonderful church life and blending in the Body, I can only echo brother Paul's final word to the church in Rome.

Romans 16:27To the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 

Flow of Life: An Elderly Brother

Leviticus 19:32  You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the face of the old man. And you shall fear your God; I am Jehovah.

This was the Lord's speaking concerning my burden to fellowship with a senior and elderly brother whom the Lord used as a pioneer for the ministry of the word to be brought to India and it was also through him the Lord's recovery in India has its beginning. He is one such faithful brother who has been serving since the very beginning of the literature service in India till date. He surely deserves the honor and respect, in the principle of incarnation.  Especially for me, I sincerely respect and honor him. My principle is simple, honor to whom honor is due and respect to whom respect is due. So, whenever I got the opportunity, I would visit him and fellowship with him.

As a part of my official trip, I went to visit this brother and his wife at Kochi. For one night and one day, I fellowshipped with him on the literature service. My responsibility was to listen to him and learn whatever needs to be learned from such an experienced and elderly brother. One night I listened to him, his testimony of how he got saved, how the Lord led him to North East India to work, and how the Lord led him to the ministry books, The Orthodoxy of the Chruch and The Glorious Church, which became a seed for the Lord's recovery in India. Thirty years have elapsed since the initiation of the Lord's testimony here. What a blessing to be able to serve and coordinate with such a precious brother!

Besides some official fellowship, I also fellowshipped with them my recent enjoyment of the Lord's speaking. As we fellowship, it just flowed out from my being, and I believe it was the Lord who led me to overflow the riches of the ministry. I shared my enjoyment of three messages, The All-inclusive Christ Being the Allotted Portion of the Saints, according to God’s Choice, as Their Divine Inheritance for Their Enjoyment; The Water for Impurity; and The Vision of the All-sufficient One—the Divine View of God’s People. 

As I started sharing, these messages were the outflow of my enjoyment of the Lord. I had no intention to speak these messages. The Lord knows what was the timely need of the brother and sister. Perhaps, the Lord had a special burden to release. In fact, as I fellowshipped with them I felt strongly the Lord's speaking and flow from deep within. They also enjoyed the flow of life and testified of how timely the Lord's speaking was and how rich the ministry was, and they still are and will ever be. The sister poured forth words of praises and thanks and the brother offered a strong prayer in thanksgiving after the sharing in a way of an overflow of life. We all enjoyed the sweet and wonderful fellowship.

After such a timely and sweet flow of life, my burden was released, and I flew back home. Praise the Lord for the ministry of the age, full of life and life supply!

Flow of Life: NE Brothers

The churches in North East India has been facing persecution from religion since the very beginning of the rasing of the lampstands. Nevertheless, the Lord has been gracing the saints to grow in life gradually. Till date, a good number of local churches have been raised up and the testimony of Jesus has been much strengthened with the growth in life of the saints and their increasing enjoyment of the church life with truth constitution. The churches are the Lord's, and the Lord as the Son of Man is walking among the midst of the lampstand is shepherding them, even "trimming the burned wick."

In the last full-timers training, a brother came to fellowship with me concerning his situation and the situation of certain serving ones in the NE; how some leading brothers had certain feeling concerning him which troubled him quite much. But since he came for a brotherly fellowship I gave my audience and mentioned to him that I would bring the matter to the concerned brothers who are taking the lead in the Lord's work. The brother came again the second time and fellowshipped further certain misunderstanding that subtly crept in among the brothers, especially the full-time serving ones. As he fellowshipped  I just realized that the enemy has always been behind the scene trying to bring discord among the brothers and destroy the building work of the Lord. A few weeks later, the same brother called me again over the phone expressing his concern over the situation there. In all the three cases of fellowship, my fellowship was consistent. I told him I would bring the matter to the brothers overseeing the Lord's move in India. 

Another senior brother came and stayed with me for two nights after the full-timers training. Initially, I thought he just came to take hospitality. But later he requested for fellowship and opened up his concerns about the situation there. To this brother too, I told the same thing I told to the other brother. In all the meetings above, I prayed together with the leading brothers for the Lord to cover and heal the situation. And if the Lord leads so, perhaps, I may visit with other brothers. In both the case, I also fellowship with them concerning my feeling. The Lord is blessing his move and the enemy is trying to destroy the building work. He tried using religion and other means to stop. But he could not succeed. Now he is subtly trying to break the oneness and one accord of the brothers. But the Lord's word is:

Matthew 16:18  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

This matter of fellowshipping with the brothers taking the lead in the Lord's move here has been pending for a couple of months. A few weeks ago, under the Lord's sovereignty, one of the brothers and I stayed together in the same room for the churches in Kerala blending conference. There we could fellowship all the points in detail and decided to visit the brothers for fellowship in the coming months. This is the flow of life that I experience in fellowship with the brothers concerning His move in NE.

The Lord's divine life will flow and heal all the situation in NE.

Ezekiel:47:8

Then said He to me, This water flows out toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah and goes to the sea; when it flows into the sea, the water of the sea is healed.

47:9   And every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes shall live, and there will be very many fish when this water comes there. And the water of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live wherever the river comes.

The flow of life will heal the situation and bless His testimony in NE!

Flow of Life: Fellowship with the Brothers

In the blending conference of the churches in Kerala the brothers gave me forty-five minutes to fellowship with all the leading and responsible brothers, the official fellowship that needs to be conveyed to the churches. I fellowship the matter of change of service of the serving brothers for distribution of the ministry literature in Kerala, the release of the Gospel of Matthew Recovery Version in Malayalam, the need for prayer and support from the churches there for the translation of the Recovery Version Bible, the need for the saints to enter and dive into the present truth especially the Crystallization-study in the way of video training, and also for the churches coordination in the spread of the ministry all over Kerala. 

Later, we had a fellowship with few brothers for the practical coordination in translating the ministry speaking for the video training. Without my trying to suggest or propose anything, the brothers themselves voluntarily came forward and made all the necessary arrangement. Everything became so sweet and the transaction very smooth. This was the result of the Lord's move and His presence. My function was to simply confirm what the Lord had already done.

Even my fellowship with the two brothers who are directly serving in the literature service, whatever I had in mind to fellowship with them, without me trying to impose anything, the brothers themselves spoke out what I intended to fellowship. It all turned out that the Lord already spoke to them as well what He had spoken to me concerning the new arrangement in their official functions. My personal fellowship with the two of them separately and together were very sweet and we all were in one mind and one accord.

Personally, I dare not misrepresent God even in my official responsibility. Though the case at hand may be serious, the way to deal with it is, by life and by love. Moses' dealing with problems by deferring everything to God and representing God as a deputy authority has been a great lesson and blessing to me in my service. I learn from the Bible and the ministry speaking all these practical lessons of dealing with situations. And the result is full of life, peace, joy, and all done in the way of shepherding.

With the brother involving in the misappropriation of account, I spent hours together fellowshipping late into midnight, in a way of shepherding. Though it was an official fellowship, he is a dear brother too. I presented my feeling from both official and brotherly point of view. In all my fellowship, my burden was to shepherd him, so that he can become more useful to the Lord. The worldly way would be "firing an unfaithful employee," but the Lord's way is a way of shepherding to recover him and even make him more useful to the Lord. The Lord graced me to shepherd him in such a way. He has been shepherding me so much, and I am doing the same with the serving ones.

One morning, we three brothers were enjoying morning revival together. As we just finished pray-reading the word of God, I felt we all should kneel down and pray. So we all knelt down and prayed for the Lord's covering, and His blessing in our coordination and service. That was the conclusion of my brotherly fellowship with them. We all enjoyed the flow of life in all our fellowship and prayer. What the enemy did for bad, the Lord turned it to be for our good. Praise the Lord for the flow of life!